Prince Charles prays for our boys

Prince Charles thanked the British forces fighting in Afghanistan for their relentless courage

You face the constant, terrifying threats but always seem to bounce back

Prince Charles

Charles, 64, thanked them for their relentless courage and said the nation owed them “an everlasting debt of gratitude”.

He said all those stationed abroad were very much in his thoughts and prayers.

And he added: “I also wanted to pay tribute to the extraordinary contribution made by those of you who belong to our Armed Forces in all sorts of different parts of the world.

“Nowhere is your fortitude and relentless courage more clearly on display than in Afghanistan where your resilience, patience and determination to see the job through, usually in impossibly difficult conditions and circumstances, is, quite simply, humbling.”

He also joked about receiving a letter from his son Prince Harry, 28, an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner serving with the Army Air Corps, who has been stationed at Camp Bastion since September.

The Prince is Colonel-in-Chief of a number of regiments serving in Afghanistan and he said he knew about the hardships troops face because of the regular reports from his units and the occasional contact with Harry.

He said: “I am well aware of the discomfort and privations you all endure with seemingly endless reserves of good humour.